GLAAD - The Ethicisthttp://www.glaad.org/tags/ethicist
enProblematic New York Times Column Advises When to Out a Transgender Personhttp://www.glaad.org/2010/07/12/problematic-new-york-times-column-advises-when-to-out-a-transgender-person
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-featured field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="http://glaadblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ethicist.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-23255" title="ethicist" src="http://glaadblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ethicist.jpg" alt="" width="94" height="154" /></a>In this weekend's edition of The Ethicist, a popular New York Times Magazine advice column, author Randy Cohen advises <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/magazine/11FOB-Ethicist-t.html" target="_blank">"When to Out a Transgendered Dater?"</a> The title itself is offensive and uses incorrect terminology. A quick glance at <a href="http://www.glaad.org/referenceguide" target="_blank">GLAAD's Media Reference Guide</a> or the New York Times Style Guide should have informed Cohen that the appropriate term is transgender, as transgender is an adjective, not a verb.</p>
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Moreover, the substance of the column, which makes analogies between being transgender and having a disease or committing adultery, is insulting. While Cohen draws the line at giving the reader permission to out a trans person to his or her whole community, he does insist:</p>
<blockquote><p>"Even before a first kiss, this person should have told you those things that you would regard as germane to this phase of your evolving relationship, including his being transgendered[sic]. Clearly he thought you’d find it pertinent; that’s why he discreditably withheld it, lest you reject him."</p></blockquote>
<p>This advice is extremely short sighted and irresponsible, given the prevalence of violent and frequently lethal crimes committed against transgender people, much of it intimate partner violence. Cohen fails to acknowledge this and perpetuates the malicious stereotype of transgender people as deceivers. Dr. Jillian T. Weiss, in <a href="http://www.bilerico.com/2010/07/ny_times_transgendered_people_who_dont_out_themsel.php" target="_blank">her critique of the column</a> for <a href="http://www.bilerico.com" target="_blank">The Bilerico Project</a>, writes:</p>
<blockquote><p>"This is dangerous nonsense. Hundreds of transgender people are murdered every year, and more subjected to violence, many from partners and potential partners. What is morally wrong and reprehensible is lending the credence of The New York Times to this idea."</p></blockquote>
<p>Weiss also states:</p>
<blockquote><p>"Mr. Cohen apparently fails to appreciates that hundreds of transgender people <a href="http://www.liminalis.de/2009_03/TMM/tmm-englisch/Liminalis-2009-TMM-report2008-2009-en.pdf">are killed every year</a> because of their transgender status.<a href="http://www.gender.org/remember/about/core.html" target="_blank"> Their murderers often rely</a> on <a href="http://www.bilerico.com/2008/09/banning_the_trans_panic_defense.php" target="_blank">the "panic" defense</a>. The list is long, and the <a href="http://glaadblog.org/tag/transgender-day-of-remembrance-2009/" target="_blank">Transgender Day of Remembrance</a>, held every year on November 20, commemorates those deaths."</p></blockquote>
<p>GLAAD is currently reaching out to Mr. Cohen and the New York Times. We will update you as information becomes available. We also urge you to contact Randy Cohen <a href="mailto:ethicist@nytimes.com">ethicist@nytimes.com</a> and/or write a letter to the editor at <a href="mailto:letters@nytimes.com">letters@nytimes.com</a> to let Randy Cohen and the New York Times know that propagating stereotypes and reinforcing trans panic is unacceptable.</p>
<p>h/t to <a href="http://www.bilerico.com/2010/07/ny_times_transgendered_people_who_dont_out_themsel.php" target="_blank">The Bilerico Project</a> for breaking the story.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pubdate field-type-datetime field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">July 12, 2010</span></div></div></div>
<div class="field field-name-field-issues field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div>
<ul class="field-items">
<li class="field-item even"><a href="/issues/news">News</a>, </li>
<li class="field-item odd"><a href="/issues/transgender">Transgender</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<ul class="field-items">
<li class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/new-york-times">New York Times</a>, </li>
<li class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/new-york-times-magazine">New York Times Magazine</a>, </li>
<li class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/ethicist">The Ethicist</a>, </li>
<li class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/transgender">: transgender</a></li>
</ul>
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Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:18:20 +0000glaad33068 at http://www.glaad.orghttp://www.glaad.org/2010/07/12/problematic-new-york-times-column-advises-when-to-out-a-transgender-person#comments